Ex-Candidate for the presidency of Belarus arrested in Minsk
The leader of the Belarusian National Congress and former Belarusian presidential candidate Mikola Statkevich was arrested, as reported by his wife Marina Adamovich.
"Mikola was arrested today at about 12 pm, not far from home, when he was going to a meeting," she wrote on Facebook.
According to the wife of the activist, he was taken to a temporary detention center on Okrestin Street in Minsk.
In early August, the court sentenced Statkevich in absentia to administrative arrest for 15 days for holding an unauthorized rally in Minsk on July 3, on the Independence Day of Belarus.
The opposition politician appealed the decision, but a new verdict has not been passed yet. The spouse of the politician notes, due to this it is not yet clear how long the activist will spend in detention.
The new arrest is attributed by the experts to the plans of Statkevich to take part in the opposition rally on October Square in Minsk on September 8. The event is organized by the Belarusian National Congress.
Statkevich was Lukashenko's rival during the 2010 elections. After the elections and as a result of participation in protest activities, Statkevich spent five years in prison.
In 2015, Lukashenko pardoned and decided to release Statkevich.